Automatic gas-cock.



R. M. G. PHILLIPS.

AUTOMATIC GAS COCK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1913.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSS M. G. PHILLIPS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SENTINAL AUTOMATIC GAS APPLIANCE 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CQNNECTIGUT, A CGRPORATION.

AUTOMATIC GAS-COCK.

To alZ whom it mag concern Be it known that I, Ross M. G. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, residingat New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Gas-Cocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, tobea full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

Figure 1 a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical central section of a gas-stove provided with my improved automatic gas-cock. Fig. 2 a detached view 1n vertical section of the gas-cock, the plughandle being broken away and the automatic-valvebeing shown as closed. Fig. 3 a similar view showing the cock adjusted to operate as an ordinary gas-cock by cutting out its automatic-valve from operation. Fig. 1 a broken view of'the gas-cock in horizontal section on the line aZ') of, Fig. 2, showing the pilot-light port in the plug of the cock and the pilot-light connections of the valve-body. Fig.- 5 a detached view in side elevation of the plug showing its pilot-light port. Fig. 6 a sectional view on the line 0-41 of Fig. 2, ofthe rocker by which the automatic-valve is opened. Fig. 7 a detached view in side elevation of the notched converting-cap .whichis mounted upon the plug. Fig. 8 a reverse plan view thereof. Fig. 9 a broken view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, show ing a modified construction for converting the'cock from an automatic to a non-automatic cock. Fig. 10 a detached reverse plan View of the plug and core of Fig. 9.

My invention relates to an improvement in convertible automatic pilot-light gascocks primarily designed for use with gasburning stoves, but not limitedto such use, the object being to. produce a compact, convenient and reliable gas-cock adapted to be automatically operated without turning its plu Vt ith these ends in view, my invention consists in certain details of construction and combination of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as herein Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

Application filed J'u1y'24, 1913. Serial No. 780,851.

I shown, I employ a tapered, chambered plug the lower portion of which is fitted into a vertically arranged tapered opening 3 in a valve-body -l formed on no side with a threaded nipple 5 for the application of the cock to a gas-supply pipe (3. The opposite side of the val \c-body 4 is provided with a threaded stem 7 located in line with the said nipple 5 and receiving an adjustable spud 8 having a central gas-orifice 9 in its round ed inner end and formed at its outer end with a nut 10, whereby it is turned in one direction or the other to adjust the position of its said gasorifice 9 with reference to the needle-end 11 0f the stem 7, the said needleend 11 being intersected by small gas-passages 12 leading out of the main gas-passage 13 which traverses the axes of the nipple 5 and stem 7., passes through the center of the valve-body land properly includes a transverse gas-port 14 formed in the plug 2 and brought into alinement with the said main gas-passage 13 when the plug is properly positioned by rotation in the said valvebody 4.

a The plug 2 is turned in the valve-body 4 to permit or intercept the flow of gas through the main gas-passage 13, by means of a handle 15 having a threaded stem 16 which is screwed into the upper end of the said plug and also into the solid upper end of a core 17 fitting snugly within the upper end of the plug and formed-in its lower end with a concentric chamber 18 receiving the upper end of a helical valve-spring 19 the lower end of which is seated in a socket 520 in' the upper end of an automatic valve 21 located in the lower portion of a chamber 22 formed in the plug and terminating in a conical valve-seat 23 intersecting the transverse gas-port 14- of the plug. The said core 17 occupies the upper portion-of the chamber 22 as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

' When the automatic valve 21 is on its seat 23, no gas can flow through the gasport 14', and hence through the passage 13 which includes it, no matter what the position of the plug is. WVhen, however, the valve 21is lifted from its seat, gas may flow through the main gas-passage 13 and the gas-port 11 provided, of course, the plug 2 is turned to bring the gas-port into alinement with the passage 13 of which it is a part to all intents and purposes.

To provide for the automatic action of the valve 21 so that the cock may be brought into play to furnish a flow of gas without manually turning its handle 15, I furnish the said valve 21 with a depending stem 24 extending downward through a central bore 2-5 in the solid lower end of the plug 2. The projecting lower end of the stem 24 rests in a shallow seat formed in the upper end of an adjusting screw 26 mounted in the arm 27 of a rocker 28hung on a pivot 29 between the arms 30 of a bracket 31 tastened bya screw 32 or in any other convenient manner, to a lug 33 formed upon the lower portion of the valve-body 4.

T he rocker 28 is rocked for lifting the stem 24, and so opening the valve 21, by means, as shown, of a long tubular operating-lever extending under the burner 35, and having its outer end fixed in the rocker and its inner end bent upward at a right angle to form a tubular carrying-arm 36 which rises centrally in the central opening 37 of the burner. By making the said lever 34 tubular, it is utilized to tap 011 from. the cock sui'iicient gas to keep a pilot light burn.- ing, as will be explained later on. The chambered stem 38 of a yielding, removable n'iushrooin-like operating-head 39 is set over the upper end of the said arm 36 from which the head rises through the center of a grate or grill 40 supported in the usual manner in the center of the stove-plate 41.

A pilot-light burner 42 arranged horirent-ally just below the yielding-head 39, is mounted in the stem 36 thereof and opens at its inner end into a gas-passage 43 formed therein and connecting the burner 42 with the tubular carrying-arm 36 forming a part of the tubular operating-lever 34. The said pilotlight burner 42 is located in. near enough proximity to the burner-nipples 44 ot the burner 35 to ignite the gas as soon as it begins to liow through the said nipples. The pilot-light burner 42 is at the same time so sheltered under the depressible head 39 that in case 131876 is any overflow from any of the cooking utensils upon the grate 40, the pilot-light will not be extinguished. The head 39 and its stem 38 may be readily lifted off the upper end of the ca-rryingnrm 36 for being cleaned at any time thatit becomes necessary.

Normally the yielding operating-head 39 is maintained ata predetermined height above the grate 40 by the helical spring 19 which maintains the automatic-valve 21 upon its seat hen, however, a cooking utensil is set down upon the head 39 or shoved laterally over it, as may be, the head will be depressed to the level of the grate 40 against the tension of the spring 19, whereby the tubular lever 34 will be depressed at its inner end and swing the rocker 28 upon its pivot 29 and elevate the arm 27 which in turn will lift the valve-stem 24 and raise a tubular the ai'itomatic-valve 21 above its seat 23. A supply of gas will then flow through the main gaspassage 13 provided, of course, that the plug 2 has been turned by its handle 15 into position to aline its gas-port 14 with the passage 13. So long as the cooking utensil, whatever it may be, rests upon the head39, it will maintain the same in its depressed position, and hence maintain the valve 21 in its open position. Immediately, however, upon the removal of the cooking utensil and hence the weight from the head 39, the spring 19 will reassert itself to close the automatic-valve 21 and thus shut oil' the supply of gas from the stove, and restore the head to its normal elevated position of readiness to be operated by a cooking utensil.

For tapping of? from the cock a sufiicient amount of gas to supply the pilot-light burner 42, 1 term a transverse pilot-light port 45 in the plug 2 in position to extend transversely across the outer end of the gas-port 14 therein. From the port 45, the pilot-light supply gas flows through a small passage 46 (Fig. 4) in the valve-body 4 into trunnion 47 mounted therein. The projecting outer end of the said trunnion 47 has sleeved over it the enlarged upper end of a pilot-light supply-tube 48 the enlarged lower end of which is sleeved over a corresponding tubular trunnion 49 mounted in the rocker head 28 and intersecting a gas-passage 50 formed therein and opening into the outer end of the tubular operatingever 34 which has the two-fold function of operating-lever for the automatic-valve 21 and gas-supply tube for the pilotlight burner 4.2.

When the plug 2 is positioned for the efi'ective automatic operation of the valve 21, the pilot-light port 45 is in position for supplying the pilot-light burner 42 with gas which is not shut oil until the plug 2 has been manually turned by its handle 15 for a suiiicient distance to entirely cut oil the supply of gas to the stove-burner so that the pilot-light will always stand in readiness to ignite an as su J vlied to the stove. A

supply of gas to the pilot light burner is, theretore, never shut off until the cock is entirely closed. The amount of supplied to the pilotlight burner 42 is controiled by a needle-valve :uljustingscrew 51 mounted in the valve-body 4 as seen in Fig. 1.

The plug is kept seated in the tapered opening 3 in the valve-body 4 by means of an adjustable helical spring 52 encircling a sleeve 531ormed integral with the lower end of the plug 2 and internally threaded for the reception of an adjusting screw 54 hav ing a central bore 82 for the downward passage through it of the valve-stein 2-1. The head of the said screw 54 supports a washer 55 upon which the lower coil of the spring rests. The upper coil of the said spring impinges against a corresponding washer 5-6 abutted against the valve-body 4. A take-up space 83 (Fig. 2) in the valve-body 4 provides for utilizing the screw 54 to take up wear in the plug 2 and chamber 3. A packing 57 for. the valve-stem 24is located Within the bottom of the sleeve '53 and held in place by the threaded stem of the screw 54 as clearly shown in Fig. 2, whereby the screw 54 is given the two-fold function of providing for the adjustment of the spring 52 and the take-up of the plug 2, as Well as providing a packing glandfor the valvestem 24.

To adapt myi improved gas-cock to be converted from an automatic cock into a regular or manual cock, I employ a convertingcap'58 fitting loosely over the upper end of the plug 2 and formed in its lower edge with a clearance-notch 59 flanked on either side by converting-notches 60. A iconverting valve-stem 61 depending from the cap has its lower end connected with the automatic valve 21, the stems 61 and 24' being in line. \Vhen the cap 58 is positioned so that its clearance-notch 59 is registered with the stem 16 ofthe handle 15, the valve 21' is left undisturbed on its seat 23. However when the cap 58 is raised by its knurled face 62,

notches 60 to ride over the stem 16. Thecap now being raised, the spring 19 holds it in place with the valve 21 suspended over its seat 28, whereby the automatic feature of the cock is cut out, so to speak, and it becomes to all intents and purposes a regular cock. into which itmay thus be converted readily at any'time for any cause, as for instance, in case it is desired to use a cooking utensil having a hollow bottom and therefore not adapted to automatically operate the valve 21 throughthe mushroom-like operating-head 39 which obviously will only function with'fiat bottomed vessels. Therefore if the user of a cook-stove provided with my improved automatic gas-cock, desires to use a utensil having a hollow bottom, it is only necessary to lift the cap 58 and turn it slightly in one direction or the other. Also in case it is desired to use a portable'oven, it would be necessary to convert the automatic cock in the same way into an ordinary cock. With all .forms of flat bottomed cooking utensils, the cock may be used with great convenience as an automatic cock since when so-used it becomes unnecessary to light the gas afterthe pilot-light the bracket 30 with two pivotal holes 66 and 67 either of which may receive the pivot 29 onwhic'hthe rocker 28 swings. By pivoting the rocker 28 through the hole 67, I am enabled to employ a tubular operating-lever enough longer thanzthe arm 34 to reach to the back burner, so that the cock may be automaticall operated by substantially the same degree .of downward movement. of the operating-head39 as in the device shown.

In the modified construction shown by Figs. 9 and: '10 of the drawings, the converting-cap 58 with its notches 59, 60, isv replaced by a' knurled button 68 fastened to 21'' depending valve-stem 69 furnished with; a suspension-pin 70 normally entering a transverseslot 71 in the upper end of thechambered core 72. By lifting the'button 68 the pin 70'is lifted outof the slot 71. Now by turning the button 68,- the'pin will be supported upon the fiat top'of the core 72 and the automatic valve 21 maintained in its open position.

As shown the plug 2 is furnished with a stop-pin 84 projecting into a stop-notch 85 (Fig. 2) formed in the valve-body 4 for limiting the rotary movement of the plug 2. I call attention to the fact that by re moving the handle 15, and the core 17 the valve 21- may be removed and cleaned and replaced without any disturbance of the cock or itsrelated parts.

My improved automatic gas cook viewed as a gas cock of general application, hasbeen madethe subject of a separate application Med Feb. 9, 1914, Serial No. 817,554, this case: having been divided in accordance with the requirements of the examiner.

1. In" an automatic gas-cock, the combination with the bod and plug thereof, of an automatic valve l ocated' wlthin the plug,-

a valve-stem depending from the valve,

means co-acting with the projieetin .end of the said stem for automatically 1i ing the valve, a converting-stem connected with the valve and extending upward throu h the plug, and means connected with t 6- upper end of the converting-stem for mann ally lifting the valve into its open position.

2. In an automatic gascock, the combination with the body and plug thereof, of an automatic valve mounted in the said plug, a valve-stem, means co-acting with the said stem for automatically opening the valve, a converting-stem connected with the valve in line with the said valve-stem, a cap connected with the converting-stem for the manual operation of the'valve, a handle mounted in the plug for turning the same and co-acting with the said cap, and a spring located within the plug for normally holding the valve upon its seat.

3. In an automatic gas-cock, the combination with a valve-body, of a valve-plug having a gas-port and a ilot-light port, an automatic valve locate within the plug, means for automatically operating the said valve, means applied to the valve-body for connecting the pilot-light port of the plug to a pilot-light burner, and means for holding the said valve above its seat and for manually rotatingthe said lug.

4. In an automatic gas-coc the combination with the body and plug thereof, of an automatic valve located within the said plug, a movable operating-head, a pilot-light burner moving therewith, a tubular operating-lever carrying the said head, supplying gas to the said p1lot-light burner, and coneating the said head and valve, whereby the latter is automatically operated, means for lifting the said valve from its seat and holdin it in such position, and means for manna ly rotating the said-plug.

5'. In an automatic as-cock, the combination with a valve-b0 y, of a plug located therein and having a gas-port and a pilotlight port, an automatic valve located in the plug, means for automatically operating the said valve, including a. tubular operatingalever feeding a pilot-light burner from the said pilot-light port and means for holding the said valve above its seat and for manually rotating the said plug.

6. In an automatic gas-cock, the combination with a valve-body, ofa plug mounted therein and having a gas-port and a pilotlight port, an automatic valve, a valve-stem, a rockerco-acting with the said valve-stem for automatically opening the valve, a pilotlight burner, a pilot-light gas-supplytube connecting the pilot-light port of the plug with the said. rocker, a tubular operatinglever connected with the rocker and receiving gas for the pilot-light therefrom, means 'co-acting with the said lever for operating the same and hence the valve and means ,for holding the said valve above its seat and for manually rotating the said plug.

7. The combination with a yielding operating head, of a pilot-light burner fixed in its relation thereto, an automatic gas-cock having an automatic valve, a tubular operatinglever supporting the said head and pilot light atone end and connected at its opposite end with the said valve for operating the same, the pilot-light burner being fed through the said tubular lever and means for holding the said valve above its seat andfor manually rotating the said plug.

8. The combination with a mushroom-like operating head having a chambered stem, of. a pilot-light burner mounted in said stem, a tubular operating-lever upon which the said stem is mounted and which supplies gas to the said burner, an automatic gascock having an automatic valve which latter is connected with the said tubular lever for the automatic operation of the valve by the depression of the said head and means for holding the said valve above its seat and for manually rotating the said plug.

9. In an automatic gas-cock, the combination with the body thereof; of a bracket connected with the said body and'having a plurality' of pivot points; an automatic valve located inthe said body, a rocker swung from the bracket on one of such points, an operating-lever connected with the said rocker and co-actin with the valve for automatically operating the same, and a yielding operating-head for operating the said lever,rocker and valve, the provision of the rocker with a plurality of pivot points enabling the rockerto be shifted in posi-' tion in accordance with the desired length of the said lever.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- Witnesses:

CLARA L. WEED, FREDERIG G. EARLE. 

